NVMe-oF Initiator Free hangs at discovery

Initiator (iSCSI, FCoE, AoE, iSER and NVMe over Fabrics), iSCSI accelerator and RAM disk

Moderators: anton (staff), art (staff), Anatoly (staff), Max (staff)

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zankai
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat May 10, 2025 8:51 am

Sat May 10, 2025 9:07 am

NVMe-oF Initiator Free does not work at all. It just hangs in ISCSI Initiator Properties, or hangs in StarNVMeoF_Ctrl.exe.

But discovery works fine in WSL, as well as connecting. The target is latest Ubuntu.

Image

Image

IPs are correct. Windows firewall is off. Tried on a fresh install of Windows.
yaroslav (staff)
Staff
Posts: 3529
Joined: Mon Nov 18, 2019 11:11 am

Sat May 10, 2025 9:41 am

Welcome to StarWind Forum.
Please tell me more about the system (OS version, updates installed, NIC in use, firmware and drivers, how the target is connected) and share the command you use, and share the output of
StarNVMfInitiatorService.exe --checklicense
Try also discovering over TCP.
Check the firmware, MTU, firewall, drivers, and 4420 port in particular.
zankai
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat May 10, 2025 8:51 am

Sat May 10, 2025 10:58 am

Windows 11, 24H2, 26100.3194; and Intel(R) Wi-Fi 6E AX210 160MHz. Running latest updates and drivers.

The target uses TCP over ethernet.
StarNVMfInitiatorService::StarNVMfInitiatorService
Licensed to: '**** ***', 'None', (#31, 0, 0).
Checking for required license features...
StarNVMfInitiatorService::~StarNVMfInitiatorService
I discovered an old version 1.9.0.596 (rev 597) works, thanks to a recent post here, that said your latest version does not connect over TCP.

Where may I download older versions that are more recent than said?
yaroslav (staff)
Staff
Posts: 3529
Joined: Mon Nov 18, 2019 11:11 am

Sat May 10, 2025 11:14 am

The output says it is not licensed. Please apply the license and try again.
"C:\Program Files\StarWind Software\StarNVMeoF\StarNVMfInitiatorService.exe" --addlicense --licensefile "C:\path\to\your\key.swk"
zankai
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat May 10, 2025 8:51 am

Sat May 10, 2025 11:43 am

It is. I'm using
StarWind_NVMe-oF_Initiator_Free.swk
.
yaroslav (staff)
Staff
Posts: 3529
Joined: Mon Nov 18, 2019 11:11 am

Sat May 10, 2025 12:04 pm

The output says 'None'. Please arm the key.
zankai
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat May 10, 2025 8:51 am

Sat May 10, 2025 12:11 pm

❯ sudo StarNVMfInitiatorService.exe --addlicense --licensefile StarWind_NVMe-oF_Initiator_Free.swk
StarNVMfInitiatorService::StarNVMfInitiatorService
Licensed to: '**** ***', 'None', (#31, 0, 0).
License has been registered: CustomerName: **** ***, Type: 1002, LicenseId: 31, ExpirationDate 0
Restarting service...
Stopping 'StarNVMfInitiatorService'...
'StarNVMfInitiatorService' has been stopped successfully.
Starting 'StarNVMfInitiatorService'...
'StarNVMfInitiatorService' has been started successfully.
Service restarted!
StarNVMfInitiatorService::~StarNVMfInitiatorService
❯ StarNVMfInitiatorService.exe --checklicense
StarNVMfInitiatorService::StarNVMfInitiatorService
Licensed to: '**** ***', 'None', (#31, 0, 0).
Checking for required license features...
StarNVMfInitiatorService::~StarNVMfInitiatorService
yaroslav (staff)
Staff
Posts: 3529
Joined: Mon Nov 18, 2019 11:11 am

Sat May 10, 2025 4:10 pm

Thanks for your questions. I will discuss your request internally.
P.S. WiFi adapter will be a source of stability and performance issues. There's no benefit of using NVMe-oF in such a setup IMO.
yaroslav (staff)
Staff
Posts: 3529
Joined: Mon Nov 18, 2019 11:11 am

Mon May 12, 2025 6:55 am

We discussed your request internally, and interoperability with WSL was not tested and is not considered a production scenario.
The system does not align with what we recommend for the setups.
zankai
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat May 10, 2025 8:51 am

Wed May 14, 2025 12:15 pm

The target was a Linux host, if I was not clear. Edit: The WSL screen was of an initiator, not a target. Also, your latest initiator seems to hang with any IP.
yaroslav (staff)
Staff
Posts: 3529
Joined: Mon Nov 18, 2019 11:11 am

Wed May 14, 2025 12:27 pm

Thanks for your update. I will log an internal testing request.
Yet, I'd like to mention that such a setup is supported, so I can't provide any realistic ETA for the answer.
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